Angelica, ENG’20, GEN’20

Angelica emigrated to the United States when she was a baby with her parents, and throughout her life, her parents instilled in her the Filipino lessons of Resilience, Hard Work, and Gratitude. At the Fall 2019 Scholarship Celebration, Angelica recounted these powerful life lessons and how they have helped shape her into the young woman that she is today.

From a young age Angelica set her sights high on all that she wanted to achieve. She dreamt of STEM, entrepreneurial, and leadership positions, and worked hard to achieve this. And all of her hard work paid off when she received her acceptance to Penn and her and her parents rejoiced together and reaffirmed to her that she was on her true path. “When we saw the words ‘Congratulations,’ and the gift that would make it possible for me to attend, we cried into each other’s arms for what felt like hours. And the next morning, I took my seat in my physics class, the tingling in my chest assuring me that I was where I belonged.”

“I think about my journey to the United States and all that Penn has given me, and I realize how much closer I am to reaching my destination, due to the kindness of others.”

At Penn, Angelica has many varied interests. She designs robots, teaches thermodynamics and critical writing, sings for a Disney-themed A Cappella group, serves her community in the Christian Union @Penn, and celebrates her culture with the Penn Philippine Association. Angelica will graduate in May and will earn her masters in December 2020. As Angelica reflects upon her time at Penn, she expresses her gratitude. “I think about my journey to the United States and all that Penn has given me, and I realize how much closer I am to reaching my destination now, due to the kindness of others.”